Best Equestrian Camping near Alpena, MI

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Alpena

25 Reviews of 7 Alpena Campgrounds

• 

  Nicole V.

  Guide

  

  May. 27, 2024

  Shoepac Lake State Forest Campground

  Big lake but no direct water sites

  Peaceful and quiet and close to the sinkhole pathway. Clean bathrooms and large mostly private sites. You can launch your boat and beach it near the campground and your campsite but no direct access that we saw.

• 

  Lydia T.

  Legend

  

  May. 13, 2024

  Big Oaks Equestrian State Campground

  A rustic state forest equestrian campground

  A horse campground located directly on trails. Rustic campground with lots of trees. Non horse campers stay in lots 1-8

• 

  Lydia T.

  Legend

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  I love staying at this rustic campground.

  You can pick sites on the river or back by the woods. There are vault toilets and a well for water. The Shingle Mill Pathway runs through the campground. Each site comes with fire pit and picnic table. I've seen people tenting and I've seem people with large fifth wheels. Some sites are only big enough for tents but most sites can fit large rvs.

• 

  Paul C.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 1, 2023

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  Quiet and secluded

  Me and my son picked one of a few spots on the pigeon river. The river ran along the edge of our site. Highly recommend, but the current is strong so beware if you have little ones. I wouldn’t recommend for 6 and under.

• R

  Raven

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 28, 2022

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Don’t allow car camping & no Verizon cell service

  I stayed here a few times in September 2022.  The weather was really rainy but the lake is pretty and Oscoda has a lot of hiking and places to hang up a hammock and relax.  (The campsite is about 10 minutes from town.)

  Labor Day weekend was crazy and my neighbors had a really difficult time staying in their designated site - one family next to me really liked to put their trash on a tree within my site.  People just seemed a little unfriendly and territorial - it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with a younger solo woman camper.  Unrelated, a guy was shouting a song about cocaine around 11pm, drinking with his buddies.  Just kind of weird vibes even though there were a million kids.  It didn’t really feel like homey, family vibes.  

  The second time I was there I was told I could not car camp.  The lady who was working didn’t seem to care but my last night an older male worker waited at the entrance until I returned and loudly announced my site number and said I wasn’t allowed to car camp (I usually don’t get frustrated with older people when they yell because I assume they may be hard of hearing, but it seemed a little unsafe to announce where I would be sleeping.) I asked if hammock camping was ok and he became gruffer and told me his boss wanted to kick me off the campground - which seemed to imply a possible punishment if I kept asking questions.  Ironically, I was asking these questions because I didn’t have a tent but was still trying to comply.  I just felt uncomfortable after that and left, spending my last night somewhere else.

  Showers are ok - they’re coin operated and cleaned every few days.  

  The scenery is pretty but it doesn’t work for me if I can’t car camp and if there’s no cell service to work. As mentioned, weird vibes as a solo female camper too.  Adult activities - like a dance party or movies - take place after dark.  I can’t imagine how being in a dark forest with strangers would feel safe, let alone fun, when there is alcohol and it seems likely there are other substances too.  No really where my interests lie.

  But if you have an RV you might have a different experience - or if you’re looking for a party during a holiday weekend.  It might also be worth a try if you’re camping as a group.

• 

  Juan A.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 31, 2022

  McKinley Horse Trail Campground

  Amazing off grid retreat!

  This place is amazing if you just like to get away from everything. Surrounded by Huron and rarely many people there. Tons of privacy and more land to roam than you'll be able to. Highly reccomend for anyone looking to camp without ANY ammentities. Access is 4x4 only winter months.

• 

  Kat S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 4, 2021

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  Nice Very private location

  Great campground. Small in overall size for more peaceful, enjoyable quietness. Sites along the River. Clean and well taken care of by DNR.

• G

  Gordon B.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2021

  Oscoda County Park

  Nice open field camping

  At the moment they have 50 or 20 amp power, so you will need a 15 or 50 adapter to use 30 amp service. No water at camp sites, but they have a water fill station. Nice quiet and relaxing right on the lake.a small playground for the kids. Any size rv will fit. Shows require tokens if you wish to use them. The staff are pleasant and helpful. Free Wifi cover is limited, cellphone coverage is ok.

• 

  Tracey R.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 6, 2021

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Enjoyable Stay

  Got lucky enough to snag a week-long stay on a waterfront site(401) the last week of July and thoroughly enjoyed our stay! We had very nice neighbors and had a great week of relaxing. 

  Pros: 

  Website booking process was very easy. Sites are reasonably priced around$25-30/night.

  The park is very dog-friendly, which we appreciated. 

  Nice large, woodsy, level lots. Many are waterfront. 

  Trash pickup if you leave it by your site marker. Nice and quiet during the week.

  Delicious hard ice cream served from the store. 

  Nice walks down"The Point". Beautiful views. 

  Cons:

  Water and electric are poorly located. Need extra hose/cords.

  The large store is mostly empty. No souvenir style items.

  Trash everywhere..mini booze bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts.

  Bathrooms are clean, but very outdated and run down.

  Showers run on tokens/quarters and do not have a temperature control.

• 

  Sean R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 5, 2021

  South Branch Trail Camp Group Site

  Nice Large Private Site #21

  Bathroom was clean, site was large surrounded by tall pine trees. Picnic table was HC accessible. Fire pit ring. I'm a motocamper and suited my needs. No trash, so take what you brought in plus some.

• 

  Becky K.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 29, 2021

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  On the AuSable River

  Lots of things to do in this area! The large campground is crowded in summer months and you have to buy tokens to take a shower, but the views and access to the River are spectacular.

• M

  Michael A.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 23, 2020

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Perfect Early Fall Camping

  Camped here in early fall. The area around here is beautiful with lots of sights and trails. This park has a wide variety of individuals and many long term residents but the staff were pretty friendly and the lake is beautiful (especially in the early morning).

• I

  Ian R.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2020

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  Great overnight backpacking

  The shingle mill pathway in Pigeon River State Forest was a nice, quiet trail. Went on a Thursday in June and saw 1 other person over 2 days. If you hike about 6 miles the first day, you’ll find a nice dispersed campsite on the west side of grass lake. The only problem with this hike was the insane amount of ticks.

• 

  Max O.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 24, 2019

  Oscoda County Park

  Views!

  Love this park, right down the street from our family cabin and you get the best views of the Au Sauble river for miles around. Right in the heart of Mio, and if you're in the area be sure to check out "the bakery" (Amish bakery that is unbelievably delicious)

• 

  Kate K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  So pretty here!

  I love this area so much! So much to explore and not heavily trafficked at all. NCT runs through the state forest, so dispersed camping all around. There are a few rustic campgrounds, but we usually just stay at one of the dispersed sites because most of them have a sweet set up. Lots of awesome sink holes to swim in, and even elk sightings. If you can manage to find this place, you will love it!

• V

  Vaughn S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 11, 2019

  Shoepac Lake State Forest Campground

  Been going here since I was a kid, still love it.

  Entire camp is rustic with well pumps throughout, also all restrooms are vault toilets. Sinkhole trails within walking distance, beautiful lake with some nice fish. I believe it is a no wake lake so it doesn’t get too wild.

• 

  C P.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 9, 2018

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Beautiful wooded campsites lake access

  Beautiful wooded sights. Fishing ,boat ramp, beach, wagon rides, hearts, cabins great place

• 

  Rachel S.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 29, 2018

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Great family campground

  I have been coming to this campground for many years. I bring my whole family! Very family and pet friendly. It has a playground and a small beach. There are many options to stay here! Highly recommend

• 

  Halie C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 10, 2018

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  Great place to camp, bike, and hike!

  I love coming to Pigeon River not only because it is secluded and peaceful, but because there are so many things to do in the area. The Shingle Mill Pathway (a roughly 10 mile loop trail) runs right through the camgrounds which is ideal for hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking. The river is also great for fly fishing and floating down If you decide to bring a tube. The best place to camp is right on the river which is lovely to fall asleep to at night. Beware of the bugs! Also, there is no cell service.

• 

  Aaron T.

  Scout

  

  May. 19, 2018

  Pigeon River State Forest Campground

  Real camping

  The sites are all great! Camp along the river if you can. Make sure you have all of your supplies before you arrive as the nearest town is 20+ minutes away. Bring a map/gps because there is not cell service.

• L

  Linda H.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2018

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Old orchard is beautiful

  First off, old orchard is on property that is owned by Consumers Powers Energy. They allow certain numbers of reservable sites and are slowly opening up more land to create more camping sites and standing Yurts. I love old orchard. We had our camper on one site for three months but had to pay for 3 weeks at a time. Our site was very large and it was very quiet on the fill hookup did of the park. Most of the staff is helpful and some even will teach the RV newbies how to care for their camper.

  The area around the park has several areas of interest including Lumbermans monument, iargo springs, and downtown Oscoda on lake Huron. It is on the banks of the Ausable river. Kayaking, boating, pontooning, fishing-all beautiful. There is just North of the park an off shoot road that goes to Champagne Hill where people have large homemade slip and slide mats to slide down the steep sand dunes into the water. People bring their pontoons, boats and watercraft and all meet up at different locations and have a great time. The campground has a small beach but it has not been allowed to be fully developed due to consumers energy wanting a natural rustic feel to the park. Yes it is hard to get in, on a first come first serve basis, but that is because it is a great place to stay.... I give this place 5 stars. I love it there

• 

  Stephanie C.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 31, 2017

  Oscoda County Park

  No plans to return to this campground

  This campground is not my favorite, although my husband did not mind staying there. One of the reasons it is not my favorite is because the bathrooms were disgusting. I do not think that they were cleaned the entire four days we were there. They were super-hot and dirty. Another reason I did not care for the campground is because while we were there, my cousin’s dog was taken to doggy jail! We went on a kayaking trip down the Au Sable river and were gone a couple of hours. My cousin has a big dog that was tied to the tree. The dog had water, but must have knocked it over. The weather was not hot, it was in the low 70’s. My uncle’s site was right next door and he was watching the dog. My uncle was preparing dinner and went into the camper to grab what he needed to grill hamburgers and hot dogs. While he was making hamburger patties someone must have walked by and saw that the dog’s water was empty (because the dog knocked it over), that person went to the park attendant and they called animal control. My uncle came out of the camper and the dog was gone. My uncle said he was in the camper for about 20 mins making patties and getting food ready to grill outside. Apparently, it is not actually animal control that came to get him, it was a person down the street that takes the animals to his home on the weekend when animal control is not open. My uncle came out of the camper and the dog was gone. My uncle was frantic and walked around the entire campground and then went to the front desk. The lady was so rude to my uncle. My uncle is a very nice and funny man and he was just beside himself! My cousin came back from the kayaking trip and my uncle told him what happened. My cousin went to the man’s house that took the dog and had to pay $80 to get him out! It was quite the ordeal. My uncle felt bad because he wasn’t out there the entire time with the dog, but he wasn’t gone that long and it wasn’t that hot outside. My uncle would have seen that the water was empty and would have refilled it. The sites are HUGE and there are some trees, but I would not camp here again. That situation left a bad taste in my mouth and the bathrooms not being cleaned during our stay put me over the edge.

• 

  Stephanie C.

  Ranger

  

  May. 11, 2017

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Undecided on review....

  This campground is hard for me to review because this is one of my husband's favorites, but mine, not so much. A few things that I do not like about this campground include first come first served and the beach area. For most of the sites here, it is first come first served. We have driven all the way there before and not been able to get in. There was another time that we drove there and there was one reservable site that we stayed on the first night and then had to move the next day when a first come site opened up. The beach area at this campground is okay. My niece and nephew liked it, but I felt that it is too small, crowded, and dirty. I hope that they make all sites reservable in the future. This is a 2.5 hour drive and we are not retired so we generally cannot come up until Thursday or Friday, which makes it tough to get in. Camp at your own risk, but I really have no desire to camp here again. My husband likes to camp here and I usually give in once a year, but it is not my first choice.

• 

  Aaron H.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 6, 2016

  Oscoda County Park

  Love Oscoda

  I love the Oscoda Koa campground.... Such a laid back place..and I love the Au Sable River.

• B

  Brent C.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 26, 2016

  Oscoda County Park

  Camp

  Great camping,my family loved it